


Between The Scenes: The Woman King

by Pralinepoptarts



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 11:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18248591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pralinepoptarts/pseuds/Pralinepoptarts
Summary: He tries to ignore the niggling feeling that he made the wrong call, telling her no and he tries to vow to not tell her no again.





	Between The Scenes: The Woman King

**Author's Note:**

> This falls between Taking a Break From All Your Worries and The Woman King. I'm kind of obsessed with what could (should) have been happening between these two during different episodes. I really want to believe the look Starbuck gives Dee and Lee when they're being all couple-y in bar scene in The Woman King was because of something like this happening between them. I don't own anything, just having some fun.

She was four shots deep and flirting unashamedly with a nameless marine when she spotted Lee staring at her from across Joe’s Bar. She hadn’t seen him alone since their discussion in the briefing room four weeks ago. The one where she offered to leave Sam if he left Dee. She had seen him days later, tearfully wooing Dee, near the same table he was sitting at now and she felt a flash of annoyance at his possessive gaze. She quirked a suggestive eyebrow at him, he’d clearly made his decision, and turned back to her drinking partner for the evening. Was his name Jack? Or James? She couldn’t remember, couldn’t bring herself to care. He was the right height, his hair a shade too light but he looked vaguely enough like who she wanted him to be that it wouldn’t matter once they were in a secluded corridor.  
She was laughing at something he said, the guy actually was charming she thought, when she felt the chair next to her slide out. She turned to find Lee staring down the nameless marine. He slid into the chair gracelessly, his glass sloshing slightly as he tripped over his own feet. He was drunk, great, she thought.  
“Hello, Captain” he drawled, and she grasped her glass with both hands. “Fancy seeing you here.”  
“Major” she said, not trusting herself to say more.  
“So, who is your friend.” He slurred, turning to the Marine.  
“James, sir” he said, holding his hand out to shake. Lee sneered at him, ignoring the gesture and turned to Kara. “You’re awful busy these days.” He said to her, and she felt herself glaring. So, he’d been checking up on her. It’s not like it was a secret that she’d been leaving a trail of men behind her over the last few weeks. Lee had made it clear he was going to make his marriage work and with the ink on her divorce papers 5 weeks old, she felt it was probably fine if she occupied herself however she pleased.  
“Alright, I can already tell that this is going to be completely uncalled for. You’re drunk, maybe you should call it a night, Major” she said, trying to defuse the situation.  
“Don’t be like that, Kara” he said in a singsong voice, reminding her of another time when she goaded him into the boxing ring.  
“I think I’m going to go, it was good talking to you” James said, sensing the tension between them. He raised his glass towards Kara and slipped away without a backwards glance.  
“Damnit Lee, what do you want.” She said, sighing frustratedly. She had actually enjoyed his company and had been considering making it more than a one-time thing, depending on how the evening went. She put her glass down with a clatter and sat up, preparing for an argument.  
“Just came over to talk, Kara.” He slurred and she rolled her eyes.  
“Right.”  
“I’m curious though, what number was I?” he mumbled, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  
“What are you talking about?” she asked, feeling impatient.  
“Well Sam said I wasn’t the first, you know, for you, so what number was I?’ he asked, gesturing nonsensically with his hands. She froze, contemplating his words.  
“Sam said you weren’t the first what? Person I frakked when I was married to him?” she asked, slowly.  
“Yeah, Kara” he said, drawing out the syllables in her name derisively.  
She sighed and shook her head. Right, of course Sam would tell Lee he wasn’t the first person she fooled around with when they were married. It was a lie, of course, it seems Sam knew how to push Lees buttons better than she thought. Sam always did assume she was frakking around on him instead of just being overcome with guilt for marrying the wrong person. She’d been so consumed with her guilt that she couldn’t stand to have him touch her, of course he thought she was frakking around and of course he knew Lee would run the moment he thought he wasn’t the only person in her life.  
“Sam said a lot of things, Lee, doesn’t make them true.” She said, staring at the table.  
“That’s not an answer, Kara.” Lee said, calling her out.  
“Would you even believe me if I told you it was just you?” She asked, harshly and he snorted derisively.  
“No, I wouldn’t considering you’re here, chatting up a different marine every night. Do you even know their names?” His voice was venomous, and she felt her patience give.  
“Frak you, what business is it of yours. You made your choice, remember?”  
Lee was shaking his head, his eyes narrowed, “We’re not talking about me, Kara.” He said and she laughed, hard.  
“Oh, Lee, this is completely about you. I’m not the one up your ass about why you’re here drunk instead of at home working on your marriage. In fact, I’ve left you alone, just like you wanted. Remember?” She said, shaking her head. He really was a piece of work, sometimes she didn’t know what she ever saw in him.  
“Go home, Lee. You ended it, you don’t get to get to do this. And just a piece of advice, clean yourself up, there’s only room for one belligerent drunk on this ship.” She shoved back from the table, dropped enough cubits to cover her tab and left Lee glaring at her back.  
She had been looking forward to blowing off steam with James, but Lee’s pissing contest had ruined that, so she made her way to the gym. She was going to punch something until she didn’t feel like shoving Lee’s face into the decking. He really was an asshole and it was moments like these when she wondered why she bothered with him. He was an excellent lay, gods, she couldn’t deny that, but he was possessive and had a cruel streak that made even her run away in the wake of his anger. She had wished she had considered these things when she laid it on the line for him. The joke was on her when she had signed the divorce paperwork, met Sam at the bar to let him down, and saw Lee making good with Dee. She’d been made a fool by Lee Adama and she would have been impressed if it hadn’t hurt so damn much. And if she was frakking every marine left on Galactica it didn’t matter— she didn’t owe anyone her chastity and if this was it, the rest of her life, she was going to enjoy herself.  
\--  
Lee woke up with a sour taste in his mouth and possibly the worst hangover in his life. He didn’t remember getting home, or much of the evening before. He had been drinking, a lot, and saw Kara flirting with some marine who looked more like him than he wanted to admit. He hadn’t been able to resist confronting her about her recent exploits, which scuttlebutt confirmed were extensive. He didn’t know how Sam tolerated it, especially since he was lingering around Galactica more. He groaned and rolled, rubbing his hands across his eyes. Sitting up he reached for the water Dee had left him. She had been generous with him, taking him back after his affair with Kara, but he was testing her generosity by coming home drunk every night and he knew it.  
He checked his clock and swore silently to himself. He had an hour to get ready and catch the shuttle to Colonial One. The president had requested his presence for a meeting with the fleet captains. He hadn’t been her advisor in a while, but they had questions about the Militaries involvement in coordinating the algae processing and she thought he would be able to answer their questions.  
He showered, shaved as quickly as he dared, and was still straightening his uniform as he hurried to catch the shuttle. He hopped on just before the door closed, settling in with a relieved sigh. He was the only one on board and he was thankful for the time alone when he heard Kara’s voice from the cockpit telling everyone to strap in.  
“Frak” he swore as he met her insolent gaze. “Need me to walk you through it, Major?” she asked derisively, and he shook his head. He probably deserved her anger after last night. “Just fly, Captain.” He said. It was only 35 minutes, he could deal with 35 minutes in this frakking raptor with her. He tried not to think about the last time they were alone on a raptor together. This raptor, his brain reminded him, and he stared at the spot where he had pushed her against the bulkhead, desperate to touch her, kiss her, begging her to leave her husband and be with him. Cause that went so frakking well, he sighed frustratedly.  
The flight went by in silence, for which, Lee was grateful for. She obviously didn’t want to discuss his belligerence the night before and that worked perfectly for him. She landed, unstrapped and sat in her seat, waiting for him to deboard before she exited. He was glad she waited, as if he needed to be any closer to her before meeting with the president.  
“I’m your ride back.” She said and he nodded, not meeting her eyes. It would be fine. He could handle another 35-minute ride with her if she didn’t speak to him the entire time. He didn’t know what she needed on Colonial One that made her his ride back, but he didn’t pry. Like she said last night, it wasn’t any of his business.  
\--

Two hours later Lee was gathering his notes. He’d been completely useless, the captains hadn’t asked any questions Roslin couldn’t answer herself, and what information he did provide seemed to make them angrier. He ran his hands through his hair, frustratedly when the President called out to him.  
“Captain Adama, a moment please.” She said and he turned, wondering what she needed. She was holding a folder and he hoped she didn’t have paperwork for him.  
“Yes, Madam President” he said, aiming for deferential but sounding tired.  
“If I understand correctly Captain Thrace was your ride over.” She asked and he nodded, confused.  
“I don’t have time to deliver these myself so I was hoping you could bring them to her. I’ve been meaning to get these to her for a month now, but with the food shortage and the strikes, well, I haven’t had much time to deal with domestic issues like divorce. Please, offer her my sympathies, I’m sure this is a difficult time for her.”  
Lee stilled at her words, willing his jaw to not fall open. He realized he was staring, dumbfounded at the president and quickly nodded. “Yes, Ma’am, I will bring these to her. Is that all?”  
“That’s all, Captain Adama.” She smiled and turned to her aide, affectively dismissing him.  
He made his way to the landing bay, the folder feeling like a weight in his hands. She had divorced Sam and had been waiting for the papers for a month now which meant she had signed these before she’d cornered him in the briefing room. Frak, he thought. She had actually done it. He’d criticized her, accused her of treating this like some kind of game when she had clearly thought through her proposition for once in her life. And all her conquests since then… frak. She hadn’t been leaving a trail of infidelities in his or Sam’s face. She was literally single. Maybe she had been honest, last night, when she said he had been the only one.  
His mind was racing when he got back to the raptor. It was empty and he let out a frustrated sigh. Technically she wasn’t due back for another 10 minutes, but he expected her to be waiting, eager to leave. Shuttle runs weren’t anyone’s favorite, and with her hands still healing they were all she was able to do. He’d heard she tended to rush through them, leaving early when possible to spend time drinking and playing triad.  
He sat down in his seat and stared at the folder. He was curious, inappropriately so, and he glanced around before flipping the folder open. Her signature was sloppy, it was almost always illegible, but this coupled with the date meant she had signed these papers five days after she’d returned to Galactica after her crash defending the temple. She had been delirious, staggering out of the raptor and into Sam’s arms only to pass out. They’d carried her out on a stretcher as she’d called out for him, her voice thick with morpha and pain. He had ignored her, embarrassed as the deck crew stared at him, it wasn’t often that Starbuck came back from a mission that badly injured and he had always been by her side before. He hadn’t seen her in the days later, too overcome with guilt for sending Dee, to visit her in sickbay. He’d heard she’d asked for him, frequently, and he’d chalked it up to the drugs they’d had her on, he had read the report and it was a wonder she was conscious let alone cognizant enough to specifically ask for him.  
He skimmed the document, looking for a reason when he heard her clear her throat. “So, I see you’re moving on up to snooping, Major.” She said coldly and he felt himself flush. He fumbled with the papers, trying to close the folder but only succeeded at dropping them. He watched as they scattered across the deck and he stared at her, mouth agape feeling like an idiot. She was unimpressed as she crouched down to scoop them up, shaking her head derisively.  
“Kara…I” he started, and she turned, glaring.  
“You what? Huh, Lee. You feel bad? Poor Kara puts it on the line only to have her lover decide she wasn’t worth it?” she said, her voice thick with regret.  
“Just leave it alone. You made your choice, I made mine. You’re not the first person to decide loving me wasn’t worth it, I think I can survive a little broken heart” she said, her mouth twisting on those words, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
He stood in the hatch, stunned at her omission. She flushed when she realized what she had admitted and checked her watch quickly. “We’re late, Major, get in” she bit out, shoving at him to get to the cockpit.  
He didn’t say anything as he buckled in. Her movements were jerky, and he realized for the first time just how vulnerable she had made herself for him. He was stunned, uncertain of what to do. He couldn’t just leave Dee, not after everything she had forgiven him for. He had made his decision, maybe it was time he actually committed to it, try and make this work. After everything, he owed Dee that much.  
He felt like an asshole. The ride back to Galactica was silent, Kara not bothering with Coms as she brought their raptor into the landing bay. Before they’d finished being brought into the flight deck, she turned and looked at him. She opened her mouth once, twice, before speaking quietly.  
“It really was just you, Lee.” She said, glancing at him from beneath her eyelashes. He swallowed hard, before speaking. “Why didn’t you tell me you had…” he said, gesturing at the folder in her hands.  
“I wanted you to choose, I didn’t want you to feel guilted into it, I guess.” She said, cheeks flushing slightly, and he was surprised. “And I wanted to know if you trusted me, if we were on the same page.” He’s staring at her when the hatch hissed, opening slowly. “Like usual, we weren’t, at least not about us.” She finished, brushing past him quickly and out the hatch before he can say anything else. 

\--  
They don't speak about it again. He felt bad enough to try and leave her alone. He tried not to obsess over the new marine she’s flirting with, he spends less time at Joes by himself and more time with Dee, trying for the easy comradery they had on Pegasus, before the Cylons and the guilt. He doesn’t stare through Kara anymore, tries to joke with her like before. Friendly but distant, like a CAG and his hot shot problem pilot. He tries to ignore the niggling feeling that he made the wrong call, telling her no and he tries to vow to not tell her no again. The guilt eats away at him and when the it becomes his call whether to ground her or not, he knows he won’t—cant, not after last time. He can’t be responsible for taking one more thing away from her.


End file.
